Active Traffic Management in Michigan Patrick Johnson, P.E. HNTB Michigan Inc.
Active Traffic Management (ATM) Active Traffic Management Strategies: Dynamic Lane Use Dynamic Shoulder Use Queue Warning Dynamic Speeds Adaptive Ramp Metering Adaptive Signal Control Dynamic Junction Control Dynamic Merge Dynamic Lane Reversal Transit Signal Priority
Michigan s ATM Projects US-23 Ann Arbor In Operation I-96 Oakland County Design Phase I-496/US-127 Lansing Planning Phase
US-23 Corridor Northbound Recurring Directional Peak Hour Congestion Non-Recurring Congestion due to incidents and special events Southbound Interchange and Mainline Operational Issues Aging Pavement Aging Bridges with Substandard Underclearance
Planning for US-23 ATM OVER 75 PUBLIC, LOCAL AGENCY AND STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS Early outreach resulted in some public and agency controversy Concerns expressed about secondary traffic impacts Will there be induced traffic? What are the downstream impacts? Will the ATM project discourage transit alternatives? Resulted in an Environmental Assessment (EA) being initiated and completed
Environmental Assessment Alternatives Studied No Build Traffic System Management (TSM) Ramp Metering Active Traffic Management (ATM) with Dynamic Shoulder and Lane Use ATM High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) with Dynamic Shoulder and Lane Use
Some of the Factors Addressed in the EA Traffic Impacts Pedestrian and Non-Motorized Parks and Recreation Areas Air Quality Highway Noise Environmental Contamination Water Quality Threatened and Endangered Species Construction Impacts Public Input
Dynamic Shoulder Use Traffic Analysis Used regional travel demand models and historical counts to project future traffic Traffic Projections for ATM with Dynamic Shoulder (compared to No-Build) SB US-23 increases approx. 18% in AM NB US-23 increases approx. 9% in PM Used VISSIM traffic simulation to compare all alternatives
US-23 Overall Project
Concept of Operations Dynamic Shoulder Use (in median) Dynamic Lane Use Queue Warning Variable Speed Advisories
US-23 ATM Flex Route ATM Components: Dynamic Lane and Shoulder Use Queue Warning Variable Speeds ITS Equipment: 33 Gantries 93 Lane Control Signs 9 Small Dynamic Message Signs 3 Large Dynamic Message Signs 11 Microwave Vehicle Detection 21 Low-light cameras
Design Challenges Gantry Placement Gantry Design Availability of Power Backhaul Communications Signing and Pavement Marking Rural freeway with Dark Sky s Ordinance
Gantry Placement ½ Mile preferred spacing Horizontal curves Crest vertical curves Entrance and exit ramps Bridges Availability of Power Road Designer
Gantry Design Truss style gantry system MDOT Type E 7 x 5 Lane Control Signs Added Conduit for Power and Comms Low Light Camera on Median Side MVDS on outside of gantry 3 LCS on each Truss 9 Small DMS placed strategically
Power Rural Area with limited power available at MDOT ROW Developed Distribution System 7 or 8 service points Installed distribution panel to feed multiple gantries from 1 service point Installed step-up and step-down transformers to address voltage drop on long runs Developed several new ITS detail
Communications Fiber Optic Distribution Network Evaluated several options Licensed Wireless Extension of Fiber Verizon and AT&T Fiber Needed redundant backhaul Utilizing Ethernet Private Line Service with two points of presence
Signing and Pavement Marking During design, limited guidance available for median shoulder Used solid yellow line on both sides of dynamic shoulder Regulatory sign for shoulder usage Supplemented the NB lane drop with a disappearing legend sign
Clearing the Dynamic Shoulder No freeway lighting for most of corridor Must verify that the shoulder is free from obstructions before opening Freeway Courtesy Patrol Low Light Cameras Developed procedures for removing an obstruction from the shoulder
Construction of US-23 Letting on October 7, 2016 Construction started early November 2016 Construction ended in November of 2017 ATM/Flex Route is currently operational
Lane Control Sign Installation
Installed Gantry
Testing of the ATM Displayed different graphics to avoid driver confusion Displayed actual graphics in closed section of roadway Final System Testing performed with nighttime full closures Tested several ATM scenarios
Lessons Learned from Construction Modifications made to LCS Controllers removed from sign and placed in cabinet Increased cabinet size to accommodate additional controllers Maintenance Efficiencies Installed Iboot bars in each cabinet in order to remotely reboot equipment to decrease maintenance response times Installed environmentally controlled laptops at the two nodes to reduce response time for maintenance
Public Outreach Media
US-23 Kickoff Event
Software Development
Peak Hour Operations Show video of ATMS software operations
Congestion Management
Performance Monitoring Region and TSC are monitoring the performance Providing monthly performance measures Travel times, speeds, and planning time index Operation and Maintenance costs Feedback from agency partners, the public, and emergency responders
Speed Performance Before 12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM Southbound 12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM Northbound Project Limits Project Limits
Speed Performance After Project Limits Project Limits 12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM 12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM Southbound Northbound
US-23 Flex Route Enforcement State police patrolled 12 hours a day for first 3 weeks when ATM opened 22 citations written for improper lane use of Flex Lane Overall, MSP is seeing good compliance
Feedback Received Overall, receiving positive feedback regarding the Flex Route operation from public and media FAQs or concerns: Why didn t you just widen to 3 lanes? Why isn t the shoulder open more often? What do the speeds over the lane mean?
MDOT Part-Time Shoulder Use US-23 Ann Arbor Construction Phase I-96 Oakland County Design Phase I-496/US-127 Lansing Planning Phase
I-96 ATM Project Existing Corridor Conditions Recurring directional congestion Eastbound in the morning Westbound in the afternoon Frequent incidents Extensive travel times Inconsistent travel time reliability Existing wide median shoulders
I-96 ATM Project Next Steps Stakeholder Meeting: February 2018 Complete EPE Phase: April 2018 Begin PE Phase & Submit 30% Design Plans: August 2018
Questions?